Making students think more inclusively: Raising awareness of disability

1
Making students think more inclusively
Raising awareness of disability
2
Structure of Presentation

• What do we mean by Sustainable Development?
• What does being a responsible citizen mean?
• Disability and awareness
• Current responses to statutory requirements
• The need for a change to our teaching
• Case study - problem-based learning
• The next steps...

3
What Is Sustainable Development

• Philosophical goal
• Different focus within different disciplines

4
Who Is a Responsible Citizen?

• Someone who
• appreciates needs of others and impact of own
  actions
• thinks inclusively
• has core values attitudes of empathy and
  respect, valuing and respecting diversity.

5
Statutory Requirements

• Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)
• Special Education Needs and Disabilities Act
  (SENDA) 2001.

6
General Practice

• Structural changes to the campus
• Reasonable adjustments to delivery
  of lectures

• Alternative arrangements for practical activities
  e.g. laboratory work and field based activities
• Appropriate support for students identified with
  additional learning needs.

7
Best Practice

• Meet core values and spirit of policy driving
  legislation
• Go beyond mechanistic approach to meet
  legislative requirements
• Enable students to be aware of implications of
  DDA within the workplace
• Encourage students to think inclusively and
  therefore to be responsible citizens.

8
Case Study Geographical Design Application

• Issue driven unit
• Real-world projects
• Requires students to apply geographical knowledge
  and skills
• Portfolio assessment including a reflective log
• Aims to enhance student employability.

9
Problem Based Learning

• Learning by doing
• Encouraging students to think independently,
  develop ideas and awareness of issues being
  studied

10
Theme of Disability and Awareness

• Particular focus on needs of students with
  mobility and sight impairments
• Support provided by Universitys Additional
  Learning Needs Centre and students with mobility
  sight difficulties
• By actively investigating the issues, students
  were able to see problems of accessibility as
  if for the first time
• Project findings presented at a University board
  meeting.

11
Student Development

• Ascertained through performance assessment
• Included weekly workshops and reflective logs
  (part of portfolio).

12
Student Feedback

• Topic initially difficult to conceptualise
• Topic politically sensitive with concerns over
  terminology
• Linking the practical and academic context needed
  considerable staff input
• Involvement of students with additional needs was
  critical
• They were proud of their results and encouraged
  the University was interested
• They became aware of their own (mis)conceptions
  surrounding issues of disability.

13
Practical Issues

• Students require a high level of support from
  staff
• Pre-project
• meetings with ALN Service for approval and their
  input
• links with students willing to participate
• Project related well to geography due to the
  spatiality of access.

14
The Next Step

• In order for us to train our students to think
  inclusively, we must first train our staff
• Staff need to
• (i) understand different needs of global citizens
  and
• (ii) ensure their curriculum is crafted to enable
  this learning to occur. How?
• Current HA/GEES funded project
• to encourage and develop students to be more
  considerate and able to act as responsible
  citizens.

15
Where within your curriculum would you consider
embedding disability/inclusivity awareness?
16
(No Transcript)